


The Maternal Accords

by TheLadyMuse



Series: Scheherazade [6]
Category: Avengers, xmen - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Tony is a jerk, and an Idiot, and the Roaring Wildcats want to kill him, but probably not, the Avengers on trial, they might die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-09 14:03:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8893444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyMuse/pseuds/TheLadyMuse
Summary: If you are a woman, Feral, Mutant, Enhanced or Human, you may sign the Maternal Accords. It means you give a shit what happens to the other women in the world.ORAmara Aurelius Barnes just found out, after decades of wishing to die, that her mate is awake and alive but not quite himself. Cue the call to fellow ex-Howling Commando, the mate of the current Captain of the same unit. Because they never leave a man behind. Victoria and the Roaring Wildcats to the rescue.





	1. Pepper Potts Stark

**Author's Note:**

> Jubilee and Pyro didn't end up mating. She ended up mating Archangel/Warren Worthington III. Blame Jen at Visualsounds1! She did a RP where Jubilee greets Warren at the Academy and it looked kinda flirty and yeah.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginnings don't stop until there's an ending.

Jubilation Lee Worthington studied the other women at the table. They were an impressive lot, she admitted to herself. Especially the elder ones, but she _was_ more familiar with the younger ones, being their classmate.

At the head of the table sat Scheherazade. To her right was seated Sharkness, then Black Widow, White Tiger, Shadowcat, Rogue, Jubilee herself, Mystique, and last, Storm.

While Jubilee herself commanded the respect also due her mate, the elders were _powers._ Though they sat somewhat sullenly waiting for the meeting to begin, Scheherazade and Sharkness had served in World War Two together, the tiger and shark Ferals ferocious in a fight.

 -

Black Widow was a super soldier, too. Partnered with the Hawk’s Eye, she was one of the deadliest of the lot.

Shadowcat and Rogue, much like Scheherazade and Sharkness, had become partners-of-sorts on the battlefield.

Jubilee had suffered a sort of ostracization when she’d mated the Archangel. He’d been worth it, but her friendships had suffered.

Mystique, too, remained aloof. Though more by choice, wanting to focus on Charles and her children than being truly left out. In the course of that, she’d bonded with Storm, the women hitting it off quite well.

Ava and Wanda, the very youngest of them, had respectively been taken under the wings of Sharkness and Black Widow. Scheherazade would’ve taught them, but she was preoccupied when the time came to mentor them.

 -

But today wasn’t about _them._ Or her. It was about their mates and what was going on.

Tony Stark had attacked Steve Rogers and James Barnes.

James Barnes who had yet to stand trial as Mystique, Sabretooth, Colossus and Pyro had not so long ago.

 -

Which is why, despite meeting to renew the Maternal Accords, the Roaring Wildcats were waiting on Pepper Potts.

As the once-mate of Tony Stark, she would have say.

 -

But so would they all.

 -

Amara, not as Leader of the Aurelius clan, but as the mate of James Buchanan Barnes.

Marie, as Prima of North America.

Victoria, as Prima of Transylvania.

Katya, as Prima of Russia.

Ava, as mate of one of the Defenders.

Mystique, as one who would understand.

And Jubilee herself. As the woman who had suggested the meet.

 -

When Pepper slipped into the meeting room, she gave a squeak of surprise. Not all that surprising, really, with the Primas in their garb and the rest in the standard superhero costume.

Scheherazade faced Pepper with grave brown eyes, leather cord securing her braid, a necklace glinting at her throat. Sharkness glared fiercely, the snowflake tattoo on her wrist in evidence. Her own Italian features were grimmer than usual, undoubtedly due to the fact that her mate was frozen to protect the world from him. Black, sharklike eyes glittered with barely-restrained malice, the shark tooth strung around her neck emphasizing just how wild the woman was.

 -

Rogue, Shadowcat and White Tiger inclined their heads, Jubilee, Mystique and Storm a beat behind.

 -

“We are debating how to put the Avengers on trial. Would you join us?” Victoria’s cool question had Pepper collapsing into the seat at the foot of the table. Clearing her throat, the eldest Prima leaned back and ordered

“Sharkness, fill us in.” When she was greeted by a snarl from her oldest friend, the woman ordered coldly

“Aurora, what has _the_ Lady Aurelius so angry?” Another woman slunk out of the shadows, a smaller fang in the hollow of her throat the first thing you noticed. The next was the blue-green-grey snowflake tattoo on her shoulder, far more jagged a design than Amara’s. Aurora answered in a monotone that indicated she was furious

“Stark attacked Lord James, because while he was the Winter Soldier, he executed Howard Stark and his wife.” Aurora’s own black eyes crackled with fire before she elaborated coldly

“Marcus is holding the fort for now, but if we lose Lord James, we lose Lady Aurelius.”

Victoria nodded. Turning her golden-brown gaze on Pepper, she indicated herself and said idly

“Victoria Creed Russell. Code name Scheherazade.” Amara growled

“Amara Aurelius Barnes. Code name Sharkness.” Catching on, the others went around, skipping Pepper for the moment.

“Natalia Romanovna Barton. Codename Black Widow.”

“Ava Ayala Rand. Codename White Tiger.”

“Ekaterina Pryde Rasputina. Codename Shadowcat.”

“Anna Marie Xavier Howlett. Code name Rogue.”

“Jubilation Lee Worthington. Code name Jubilee.”

“Raven Darkholme Xavier. Code name Mystique.”

“Ororo Munroe McCoy. Code name Storm.”

Aurora, who’d leaned against her aunt, raised two fingers in a salute and informed the shellshocked Pepper

“Aurora Aurelius Summers. Code name Abyss.”

Despite the amused cast to Victoria’s features now, she was still serious when she began

“A lot has happened, even since the Sokovian Accords. If we put the Avengers on trial, it must be public, and we must make public the last trial the Feral world conducted.” Mystique answered

“That won’t be difficult. You can broadcast a wide range, can’t you?” Victoria shrugged

“About ninety years ago, I thought Jack was dead. He fell before my eyes and didn’t get up. My telepathic scream knocked out the world for a whole minute. The only reason I stopped screaming is that Logan beaned me from behind. Reports were, and have been, confirmed over the decades.” Amara’s eyes cleared a little, before she asked stiffly

“So, you could help Jamie?” Victoria snorted

“If I had his permission, I could disassemble his programming and strip his mind to a modernized version of himself, before I built up my own programming to protect his mind in the future.”

Amara had a faraway look in her eyes. She blinked, taking a moment to raise her lashes. Her voice hitched

“He says yes. Make him ready to stand trial.” Victoria inclined her head, before turning her gaze on Pepper again.

“Ms. Potts, you are here today to vote in the proceedings for the Avengers Trials. Instead of instating you into the Maternal Accords, you will act as Natalia’s replacement, should you be willing.”

Pepper held up a hand.

“Hold on. Maternal Accords? Replace Natasha?” Lips quirking into a smirk, the Prima of Transylvania explained

“We, the mothers, daughters, Primas and leaders of the Feral and Mutant people, with a human who stands as our fulcrum, sign the Maternal Accords every time there is an incident that requires our cooperation. Once that issue is resolved, the Maternal Accords are voided, warranting another signing in the wake of disaster.” Waving a hand, the elder elaborated further

“Myself, Marie and Katya are mated to the Prime Ferals of Transylvania, North America, and Russia, respectively. Amara, aside from being my war comrade and personal friend, is the recently re-installed leader of a powerful shark Feral clan. Ava and Jubilation are mated to CEOs of rather large companies that employ a fair amount of Ferals. Raven is mated to the headmaster of the oldest Institute for Mutants, and Ororo is mated to the doctor and sciences professor of that same institution.”

Victoria paused, tilting her head at Rogue. Who stated 

“I’m also Raven’s daughter, which means I’m the sister of the Prime of Germany, Kurt Darkholme. What we’re asking, Virginia Potts, is if you are mated to Anthony Stark.” Katya interjected quickly

“Before you answer, you should know that mating changes the game considerably.” Jubilee inserted sarcastically

“I would know. I went through three men before finding my true mate.”

Pepper listened, flabbergasted, as the women discussed the advantages of mating. James Buchanan Barnes, she learned, would survive the trial, as would Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Ant Man, Falcon, Natasha and Wanda. Tony, James Rhodes and Vision would face the possibility of death or permanent containment. Spiderman would face a serious decision, but would probably live, especially since Natasha planned to vouch for both of them.

Incredulously, Pepper burst out

“You’re going to stage _show trials?!”_ Victoria frowned at her, hrhrmming before Amara deadpanned

“This is why we gave you the option to function as fulcrum. Success will win you a slot in the next accords, should you desire.”

Marie lounged back, eyeing the others and asked confidently

“So, Virginia, you mated to Tony or not?” Impatiently, Pepper demanded

“What would it _change?”_ She was surprised when the response was a chorus of

“Everything.” Katya explained patiently

“Mating isn’t just calling someone your mate and being done with it. When Piotr was on trial, a few years back, if Raven hadn’t claimed him as her son, and I hadn’t claimed him as my mate, the Prime Council would have had to assume there was _no one_ who claimed him, and then they would have executed him because he was alone, had no reason to improve, to cleave to the vows he made the day he was acquitted.”

Victoria added evenly

“Jack, my mate, knows that no matter what, come heaven or hell, I’ll be at his back and standing against every threat _with him._ Part of it is that I’m a soldier, capable of keeping that vow, the rest is that I have sworn again and _again,_ ‘I am with you unto the end’ until I’m blue in the face.”

Pepper felt a little lost. More so when Vanessa and Daniella slunk out of the shadows as Aurora had, to tell their stories.

Each of these women had chosen to fight, she realized.

Victoria and Amara had fought in a war and loved like crazy. And after, they'd paid a price. For a time, Victoria had secluded herself, and Amara had broken. But their mates brought them back.

Katya, Marie and Jubilee had been coaxed out of the dark, or done the coaxing, to stand in the light with the men they _loved_.

Natasha had trusted Clint when she didn’t know if she should.

Ava had been grieving, deeply and truly, had been easily enraged, and her mate had soothed her heart and eased her tears.

Raven had thrown away everything, only for her mate to bring her home.

Ororo, a goddess humbled, had found love when she least expected it.

Daniella and Vanessa had chosen to train, to become the best of themselves, so their mates didn’t need to worry about them.

Aurora had waited for her mate to realize who she was to him.

Pepper wanted to curl in on herself. She loved Tony, she did, but she hadn’t been able to take Iron Man anymore. She’d pulled away, and these women… had stayed.

 

Had fought.

Had bled.

Had screamed and cried and been terrified, but they’d held on.

Because they knew love wasn’t something you disregarded.

Even Raven had learned.

 

Now they were offering her the chance to protect Tony as he’d protected her.

 

“Yes. I’m-” Marie shook her head and said easily,

“Let’s start over, shall we? Marie Xavier Howlett, and you are?”

Shoulders squared, Pepper replied

“Nice to meet you, I’m Pepper Potts Stark.”


	2. Vows are not for you alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is everyone acquitted?

A very disgruntled Aurora Aurelius Summers stomped into the Avengers compound, growling when Tony tried to stop her from taking James Rhodes as a hostage. With a snort, the Roaring Wildcat knocked out both men, grumbling under her breath about idiots and assholes.

In Sokovia, an equally irritated Marcus Aurelius, who had handed the clan over to his aunt's care at the first opportunity, finished the paperwork to have the captured Avengers placed into his custody. Behind him stood a handful of the most trusted Cameron dominants. Their grins were very... toothy.

Amara stepped off a plane once it touched down in Wakanda, Victoria only a few strides behind her. T'Challa's aides tried to waylay the women, only for Amara to snap

"Get the fuck out of my way before I slaughter you for agreeing to my stupid mate's idea of freezing himself!"

T'Challa and Steve hurried over, T'Challa paling when Victoria informed him

"Prime T'Challa, a council of Primas is going to review your actions following the Sokovian accord dispute." Steve stared at her, stammering when Amara barked

"Rogers! Where the fuck is James?"

Victoria sighed, kicking her friend in the ankle before elaborating

"We, that is, the Howling Commandos, Roaring Wildcats, X-men and the Feral ruling class are trying the Avengers and the Winter Soldier. The others will all have touched down in the next twelve hours. I suggest you let me clear Sergeant Barnes for trial." Amara broke in gruffly

"She's a damn good telepath. She'll reprogram him so he can't be broken like that again."

Shocked, the two men allowed the women through.

Steve was shaken by Bucky's reunion with the shark feral. The way his tired eyes lit with hope, it was unlike anything he'd seen before.

But the surprises weren't over.

It was like a goddamn parade, of heroes, antiheroes, Avengers and women.

**MATERNAL ACCORDS**

Tony woke up, face down on the ground in Wakanda, a pissed off woman with black irises towering over him.

"You." The word seethed with fury and malice. Tony took in the sight of the woman.

She wore a sleeveless bodysuit, a dark, electric blue that highlighted her Mediterranean face and olive skin. Her black hair fell like a veil around her face, a huge shark fang sat in the hollow of her throat, and on her right wrist rested a tattoo. A perfect snowflake in the same color as Barnes' eyes. On her shoulders rested a knee length vest that had an intricate design embroidered on it.

A few steps behind her were a gaggle of similar looking people, all a little younger, all with tattoos- jagged, grey-turquoise snowflakes, some splayed over shoulders, some on necks.

When he looked back in her eyes, Tony trembled.

This woman wasn't angry. She was caught in a torrent of pure wrath.

And she wanted to direct it at him.

Another woman called then

"Aurora, escort the Lady Aurelius to me. Marcus, escort Stark to the holding area."

A whipcord lean young male came forward, jerking Tony up by his bicep, muttering

"I wish I could just kill you, for attempting to take our Lord from us."

Before Tony could so much as sputter, the male tossed him onto the ground on the fringe of a clump of kneeling Avengers and their allies. People in X-men uniforms were standing around frowning at them, others in garb that identified them as part of a faction.

A hush came over those standing. The woman who had called over the woman who'd wanted to kill Tony called again

"Alright. We're ready." Clearing her throat, she began again

"In order to make this fair, those of us involved with the review of Prime T'Challa and the Trials of the Avengers and the Winter Soldier have agreed to part with our identities as well. Starting in thirty seconds, I will begin telepathically transmitting the proceedings around the world." To forestall protests, she raised her hands and introduced herself

"I'm Scheherazade, former Howling Commando and current captain of the Roaring Wildcats, daughter of Sabertooth, mate of Werewolf by Night. My civilian name is Victoria Creed Russell, Prima of Transylvania." Her mate wrapped an arm around her waist and growled

"Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night, Prime of Transylvania." The others went, stunning Tony and the others. It was Marie who finished

"Unlike every other human on Earth, we are your equals, your peers. Those best to judge you." Victoria nodded, orating again

"The sentence, as yet, for each and every one of you, is death. By Feral law, you all deserve to die." Katya smirked and finished

"Yet, by Feral law, you may yet be acquitted." Marie grinned and ordered

"Let us commence!"

**MATERNAL ACCORDS**

T'Challa was first.

"Prime T'Challa, King of Wakanda, in your quest for vengeance, you risked the life of two Feral minors, Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker, both of whom Natalia Romanova claims as her own. Do you deny it?" T'Challa shook his head, and spoke clearly

"No." The gathered Ferals nodded, before Katya asked gently

"Did you know that James Buchanan Barnes mated Amara Aurelius before Hydra ever got their hands on him?" Again, T'Challa answered that he had not.

Marie hmmd, nodding when Amara whispered in her ear.

"T'Challa, King and Prime Feral of Wakanda, the world council of Primas deems your actions understandable but not condonable. You owe both Wanda and Peter an apology, as you well know we, the Ferals of the world prize our children above all else, and Lady Amara has deemed your offer of safe harbour for her mate fair retribution for attempting to end his life. You are acquitted."

T'Challa's people seem a little miffed about the proceedings, but when the Ferals thaw towards their king, they are a touch happier.

It was then Jack's turn.

"Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. Mate of Amara Aurelius. Victim of Hydra. You suffered more pain than many of us will ever truly know. Even still, you did what you could to do what was right, not easy. You fought to return to your mate and her clan. You have amends to make, oaths to swear. But you are acquitted, my comrade."

Steve didn't have time to revel in that the people who could kill them- a man he'd served with- had acquitted Bucky. Logan had turned his gaze on him and barked

"Rogers! You endangered a kid, refused to sign the Accords and attempted to recover your best friend from hell. Do you deny it?" Numbly, Steve stammered through his affirmative, slumping when his former comrade snorted

"You're acquitted, dipshit."

"Natalia Romanova." Raven's voice was gentler even than Katya's had been.

"Explain yourself." Drawing herself up, Natasha began to talk, her accent colouring her words.

"Hawkeye- Clinton- retired from the life, at least for a while, to recover from injuries attained in the line of duty. I sided with Anthony because I have never wanted another child raised to be an assassin. If I had known that Clint…"Shaking her head, Nat cleared her throat and finished

"I would have obeyed my mate." A slow nod from the gathered Primas. Natasha hesitated, before venturing to speak again.

"As I said, I claim Clinton Barton as my mate, I claim Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker as my Spiderlings." A hush came over the gathered Ferals. It was Victoria who observed

"To be the pillar of a clan is a challenge, no matter the size." Turning to Clint, she asked briskly

"And you, Hawks' Eye? Scarlet Witch? Spiderman? Do you agree that you are a clan, represented by the Spider and guarded by the Hawk?"

They waver.

Victoria's claws trail down Nat's throat, kneading the skin.

Despite the hurt of her siding against him, it is Clint who speaks first

"Yes." He sounds solid and confident, and the look he gives his mate is sincere. Wanda also voices in favour of them being a clan, as does Peter.

"The Barton Nest is acquitted." The announcement is made by a smiling Professor X, oddly enough. A nod from the Primas before they begin again.

"On behalf of the Feral clans of North America, I suggest the other Avengers be adopted into the clans. To back that suggestion, on behalf of our First Lady, I propose Steven Rogers join the Aurelius Frenzy as the second of Lord James."

Aurora Aurelius Summers' voice rings clear with conviction, and the nods that greet this suggestion shock the others. Jubilee tilts her head before intoning

"On behalf of First Warren Worthington, I claim Sam Wilson for the Worthington Wing." Pard purrs, before his mate, the Valkyrie of Mexico, calls cheekily

"We claim James Rhodes as a member of the Reyes Pride!" The Madam Boucherie, Sylvia, says dryly

"I suppose us strange ones should work together. Welcome to the Boucherie Congregation, Vision."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Amara raised a brow before allowing her voice to carry

"And, who, I ask, will claim Anthony Stark?"

Tony's unprepared for the firm, feminine voice behind him, the hand in twining in his hair when Pepper says firmly

"His mate, Virginia Potts, does."

Grinning, Victoria claps her hands and says delightedly

"Well, that's all well and good, but only the Barton Nest is acquitted. Now we ask, and you must answer!" Marie smirked before beginning the round again.

"Before you answer, let me make clear what Natasha already knew. Mating, family groups, we Ferals take them far more seriously than most. When you claim your mate, your intention is that heaven or hell, you'll be there. When you swear to your Prime, First, Lord, you are swearing that you will have the back of your group mates, and you'll let them have yours. You swear, now and forever, you'll hold them up, slap them back into line and expect the same from them. Now, I ask you, Captain Steven Rogers, do you accept the Aurelius Frenzy's claim?"

Steve inhaled. Remembering Bucky's hope and Amara's ferocious devotion. Lifting his eyes, he took in the Aurelius members. Dressed as surfers, mostly. Grey-blue, jagged snowflake tattoos in evidence on wrists, necks, ankles. Symbols of loyalty to their liegelords, he realized. Bucky had, at some point, gotten up to curl his bigger body protectively around his mate, as had the other Feral males. Bucky's eyes pleaded for him to say yes. Drawing in another breath, he said yes.

Amara tilted her head and said gravely

"You are ours, Steven Rogers, and we are yours. So long as the tide endures, the sky might fall and the Earth may crumble, but we are Aurelius. So mote it be." Bucky nods at him as he and the others intone "So mote it be." And Steve realizes he has to swear his own vow

"I-I said the end of the line before we marched of to war, Bucky, and I meant it. Even if those that we fight for are different, if there's more than the two of us these days, I mean it as much as I meant it decades ago. I'm with you until the end of the line." Again, they all intone "So mote it be."

Jubilee grins at Sam, eyes dancing, and giggles

"Once you swear to us, you'll be acquitted, but I think the Barton Nest needs to swear themselves to each other first. Natasha?" The Russian woman nodded, exhaling before she spoke, first in Russian, then Romanian, and last, in English

"The sky may fall, the Earth might shatter, fire could divide us, storms may separate us, but still, you are mine and I am yours, so mote it be." Clint's eyes glitter suspiciously for a moment, before he also recites, first in Russian, then Romanian, then English

"No matter how far you go or how far you fall, I'll be there. When you need me and when you don't. So mote it be." Wanda, as next eldest, speaks first in Romanian then in English

"I lost my parents, my brother, and I don't know if I can do this again, but I'll try. I'll give it my damnedest, because you deserve the best. So mote it be." Peter struggles for words, before going with English and saying quietly

"All I had before was my Aunt, after so much of my family died. I'll be the best I can, because she's right. We all deserve the best." a pointed look from Natasha has him uttering "So mote it be."

Marie nods her satisfaction, chuckling when Jubilee bounced forward to pull Sam to his feet and say with all seriousness

"My mate and I will welcome you, into our Aerie and into our lives, so long as you watch his back in the air, Samuel Wilson." Having seen others go before him, he simply says awkwardly

"Thank you, I'll be the best I can be, so mote it be." He groaned when a few people snickered at him, but brightened when Marie nodded and said in carrying voice

"You are acquitted, Falcon."

Pard studies Rhodes for a moment before announcing

"Gisele, I hope you like black men lounging in our quarters. We're taking our Pridemate to the healers. Rhodes, you'll hunt with us, yes?" Taken aback, Rhodes nods, flinching when his acquittal is announced.

The Madam Boucherie blinks, before ordering

"Vision, repeat after me." The artificially constructed human indicates his agreement, following the elders words easily

"I, Vision, do swear to attend my Congregration with the same care and consideration I do so give my Avengers team mates. So mote it be."

With a satisfied nod, the Madam stepped back, allowing Marie the floor.

"Virginia, I believe you and this one are in need of mate vows being witnessed?" The soft question throws Tony further off balance, but Pepper's warm response buzzes in his ears. She walks out from behind him, pulls him to his feet and he just wants to collapse into her arms and stay there.

She speaks, her voice clear as a bell

"I ran from you, once, I didn't understand and now I do. I, Virginia Potts, do take you, Anthony Stark, as my mate. Let hell reign. This I promise you- I'll be there beside you."

Tony's lost. He doesn't know what to say. Then there's a nudge in his mind and the words- the right words- pour from his mouth, his and somehow perfectly right.

"I, Anthony Stark, do take you as my mate. I will do all I can to atone for my mistakes and be worthy of the amazing woman you are, even if it takes me everyday of my life."

Tony collapses to his knees then, Not because the moment has overwhelmed him, because it has, but because he can sense it. Every moment that had just played out is in his mind- snatches of mind breaking pain and his left arm is on fire and there is the faint image of a woman, and the pain of a man dead, of seeing and being so much destruction, of loving but never being enough.

The memory flashes are a single surge, and the only current emotion is shock, and somehow he knows the whole world has seen it, and felt how he and the others felt during their trial, during their missions, it had played out like a horrifying television program.

And then he sees the body. Scheherazade had fallen, no apparent wounds, but he can hear the Ferals screaming and yelling about her heart stopping, about Professor X containing her telepathy with her shields destroyed.

Tony's had enough. He blacks out as he realizes _I actually mated Pepper!_


	3. When we fall (into the arms of those who love us)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale, which kind of paints things in broad strokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those you who end up wondering, YES much of this chapter was inspired by Nalini Singh's Psy Changeling series.

It takes… A long time to sort the fallout of the Prima of Transylvania’s telepathic collapse. Victoria had, essentially, ripped open the mind of every being on the planet, and trapped them in a crudely constructed constellation of minds.

Bonds had strengthened or snapped in the first day.

The psychic devastation rippled out for months.

The Ferals were faring best, though all minds remained at least on the periphery, forming true, almost-constellations amongst the galaxy of twisting, fluctuating minds. In most, the love they felt for those they were most bonded to became a shining beacon, the bonds hard as metal and lighted like vibrant flames.

Others withered like dead plants.

The Avengers, and the Feral groups they’d been adopted into, glowed bright at the center of the chaos, their pain and fear and full emotion on display every moment. The Barton Nest gleamed blue-grey, the Banner Colony an odd red-green, the Aurelius Frenzy several shades of blue. Sam marvelled several times at the pure white of the bonds between him and his Wing.

All the while, Victoria Grace Creed Russell lay lifeless, her dim star so faded it would have been hard to find if Jack hadn’t guarded it ceaselessly since she fell.

She hasn’t seen the changes her selfishly selfless act had wrought.

Peace had been achieved, in most parts of the world.

The Ferals had been acceded office, and most nations had another mutant representative installed.

Crime was down, by an alarming figure globally, due in part to the fact that intent and will were radiated telepathically, police officers receiving telepathic hails from those who sensed trouble. The rest of it was that on this plane of existence you could not lie.

Many people were being treated for being psy-struck. Persons who had become intoxicated by the power flowing in the veins of the telepathic network, who then had to be cut off and carefully adjusted.

It had changed the medical field considerably, as well. Families were able to feed their love directly into the minds of the mentally ill, giving them near tangible reasons to strive to manage their conditions, if not search for a cure.

After nearly a year of the world being a global psychic network, it stuttered to a halt.

In the very middle of that rainbow galaxy, a tigress roared awake in a blaze of golden fire.

Two wolves, a wolverine, a sabertooth tiger and a shark were joined by several humans in a triumphant chorus. The psychic bonds began melting, inciting panic in the net members.

_Reach for those who are your own._

The strict instruction was heeded, voiced as it was by the woman who had forged this disaster. Instead of the psychic plane melting away completely, several groups at a time dropped out, forming familial networks that functioned with more clarity, less minds clouding the connection.

 -

Most people have adapted to this form of communication, even finding it comforting. Languages are learned faster when taught mind to mind, as are many other subjects, so the school systems revolutionize, synchronizing to teach every student what they need to know.

There are other things to learn, like shielding, and offensive and defensive techniques, and it is, quite frankly, a surprise when Bruce Banner proves one of the most capable telepaths who was not born one. Most believe the Hulk makes him erratic, or less human, but this gives him a stage to prove just how human he is.

Bruce isn’t the only competent telepath offered by the science or hero communities, but he is the only prodigy, studying with Charles, Betsy and a reluctant Jackson, who wishes he didn’t need to leave his mother alone (not that his father ever leaves her side). Darcy, who claims an adamantine bond to Bruce, is nearly as good as he is with just a few months tinkering, despite not being a prodigy.

Natasha and the other Roaring Wildcats are, of course, already competent by the time Victoria has slid things into motion, and their mates learn quickly anyway.

Even after discovering that Darcy is his daughter, that James Barnes lives with the memories of all the deaths he caused, after losing his and Pepper's mating bond, Tony almost doesn’t rejoin a psychic net when Victoria gives them the chance. Jack had warned them when she was waking, that she would shred the net holding her to life, that they would lose consciousness when it happened.

 So when the psychic world falls, Tony expects to wake up in his own head, battling his demons alone again.

The last thing he sees is a near rainbow of stars reaching for him before his mind shuts down.

(He wakes to find that though he has a stronger bond to Darcy, every Avenger had reached for the others over their Feral groups. The Avengernet gleams red and gold when Tony sees that he is the bridge between the larger sections)

The Maternal Accords are finally dissolved again, Pepper bowing out, now that she’s no longer mated to Tony.


End file.
